Back from my travels, and now eagerly back to painting! I will be exploring the idea of storytelling and it’s role in  keeping a history alive.  Ancient man as well as modern, use storytelling to keep propelling culture forward.  Whether through a joke, an e-mail, a phone conversation or even a blog….

This image is from a painting inspired by an early Winter Count.  This Yanktonias Nokata Sioux tribe record is known as The Lone Dog Winter Count, recording tribal history from 1800 – 1877.  It depicts a famous eclipse of the sun which happened in 1869, helping to date all the other years depicted in pictograph form.  Narrative history.

I am drawn to the imagery of the people encircling the sun-like image.  The unifying nature is very strong.  I will be exploring more about winter counts and ledger art imagery to tell a history not adequately conveyed in modern history books.